Build A Rocket Boys!
by Scarlet Septette
Summary: Yao couldn't help but fall helplessly in love with the friend who left him. But love made him blind to the hurt in someone else. And love made the world suddenly black out as hate and jealously swarm. AU Rated T for violence, fluff and language.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first proper fan fiction. I might mess up but please bear with me. I've based the names of the chapters on the songs of an album by Elbow called Build A Rocket Boys!

A few things before I start. What I write is based on the English school education system. So if there's something that confuses you, don't be afraid to ask. Secondly, some of the things in this story are based on real experiences I've had and other have had. Some are far from funny, other's are just a laugh that I thought would be interesting to throw into this. Okay, let's start now.

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><p><strong>Build A Rocket Boys!<strong>

**Hetalia AU fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. All characters (c) Hidekaz Himaruya**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: The Birds<strong>

_'What are we gonna do with you?_  
><em>Same tale every time<em>  
><em>What are we gonna do with you?<em>  
><em>Come on inside<em>  
><em>Looking back is for the birds'<em>

Lyrics from The Birds by Elbow

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><p><em>Beep beep beep beep<em> … "OI! WAKE UP!"

Yao was woken up by the sound of his noisy alarm clock and the loud voice of his demanding mother. A hand groped around on the bedside table for his alarm clock. He could feel the cold, hard metal at his fingertips. Quickly, he slammed his hand down on the button on the wretched clock. The beeping ceased. He grabbed the clock and sat up. Hands rubbed his eyes before opening them. Yao had beautiful golden brown eyes. Eyes almost like ones of a girl. "…Dammit…" He mumbled as he looked at the time. He was late. "Shiet…Yong Soo's going to be waiting…" 'Shiet' was the new 'shit'. So being the behind times fourteen-year-old Yao was, he broke himself into saying it.

After getting changed into his almost completely black school uniform, Yao tied his hair back with a crimson hair band. This made him look even more like a girl. His petite figure made it worse. Thus the teasing hit him. But after years of it, he was used to it.

Before leaving his room, he looked at the state of his room. Books on the floor, sketchbooks, comics, pens, papers scattered all over his desk, completely hiding his scanner. The only things visible were the desk light and computer (which everyone thought was massive). Even the tablet and keyboard were hidden away by the endless mess. He told himself he'd clean it up later. Later meaning never. Never meaning until his mum forced him to clean it.

He opened the door to his room only to be greeted by this younger brother Kaoru. Who was standing with his hands behind his back.

Kaoru was 7-years-old and adopted. Well, after Yao's mum's friend dumped him on them after she divorced her Japanese husband (hence the Japanese name) and ran off God-knows-where, they kind of had to take the poor child in. He was an odd child, but he was sweet.

"Good morning Gēgē." He said in a sweet monotone voice, coated with a thick Hong Kong accent.

"Oh, good morning Kaoru. I have to get going soon, so you need to _move_," Yao sighed and tired to move his brother. He glanced down at his small hands. "What's in your hand Dìdì?" Yao's Chinese accent was slowly fading. He had been living in England for a while now.

"Water gun." Kaoru mumbled.

"…Water wh-" Before he had a chance to finish, icy cold water was sprayed in his face.

There was a moment of silence.

"Have a nice day Gēgē." Said the smaller boy before walking off. Yao would normally yell at him but his mum was still sleeping. She had the day off work today. Kaoru also had the day off because he was sick.

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><p>Yao was just finishing brushing his teeth when the doorbell rang. It was most likely Im Yong Soo (or just Yong Soo). Yao rushed downstairs to open the door, toothbrush still in his mouth. "Hyung~! Morning~" A cheery voice called.<p>

"I'm not even your brother," Yao said coldly, trying to speak with the toothbrush in his mouth, "Just wait here." He walked upstairs again.

"Aw, Yao's being mean again!" Yong Soo jokingly pouted and laughed. But even though they weren't related, Yong Soo insisted he called Yao 'hyung'. Which was the best way you could call someone 'brother' in Korean. Well hey at least someone respected him. Yao admitted Yong Soo was noisy and annoying but he was funny, kind and energetic.

Minutes later, Yao came back down with his school bag on his back, he slipped on his shoes and looked up at Yong Soo. Even though Yao was older than him by a considerable amount he was still much shorter than the Korean. That irritated him. "Hurry up let's go. Or we'll get yelled at by miss again…" Yao tugged on Korea's sleeve.

"I was only waiting for you! You're the one that's late!" He laughed as Yao pushed him out of the house.

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><p>Yao was well aware he didn't eat anything for breakfast. Which bothered him but he tried his best not to show it. He often got pains in his stomach for not eating well and he was in serious pain right now. Yong Soo gazed over at his friend, who seemed to be struggling to walk.<p>

"Yao stop." He stopped and looked at Yong Soo.

"What?" He scowled. The Korean just sighed as a response and stuck a hand into his sling bag and pulled out an energy drink and a cereal bar. "What's this for Yong Soo?" He raised an eyebrow as Yong Soo shoved them into Yao's hands.

"I'm not oblivious to the fact you're not eating well. You're lucky I remembered to bring this or you would've starved yourself," Yong Soo seemed serious. This was a side that Yao hardly ever saw. "I can read you like a book hyung!" He grinned stupidly. Breaking the serious mood. Yao wasn't surprised if Yong Soo could do that. He wouldn't even be surprised if Yong Soo had a giant notebook in which he kept notes about Yao.

"Thank you…" Yao mumbled and took a bite out of the cereal bar.

"No problem hyung~" Yong Soo smiled brightly and watched Yao scoff down the food he gave him.

Yao and Yong Soo became friends in year 7, straight away as soon as they got into secondary school. But it seemed as if Yong Soo knew Yao more than Yao knew him…he even knew more about Yao than even Yao knew about himself. It made Yao feel rather stupid, and bad because he didn't that much about Yong Soo. What sort of friend was he?

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><p>Yao and Yong Soo were almost at school. They were walking down the road that the entrance was situated on. Around them, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom (Yao pointed out that they were late this year and it was all global warming's fault).<p>

The birds were singing and chirping the beautiful song of spring as the two walked down the road. It was like the birds were singing a million blessings to the world. As much as it was beautiful, it felt like the same tale every time. But Yao wasn't tired of it yet. You cannot get tired of beauty. Yao looked at Yong Soo, "Annoying yet kind and caring. Loud yet gentle. You're just like the birds you know that?" Yao smiled.

"R-Really?" Yong Soo blushed a bit. It was hard to get a compliment out of Yao.

"Why would I lie to you?" Yao smiled as the two entered the green gates of school.

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><p>Woo there we go~<p>

Right. Hong Kong is Kaoru because apparently a lot of fans know him by that. Or something. I went on Hetalia wiki so yeah...  
>Gege = Big brother in Chinese<br>Didi = Little brother in Chinese  
>Hyung = Brother in Korean<p>

The road where they were walking down is one of the paths to go to my school. I don't take that route because it's longer...and my form is nearer to the other entrance XD

Please look forward to the next chapter! Reviews are much appreciated~

-Lemonade from Darkness


	2. Chapter 2

Well, chapter 2 is here! Sorry it took long. I had exams and revision and...stuff. But I've finally got it typed up and edited!

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><p><strong>Build A Rocket Boys!<strong>

**Hetalia AU fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. All characters (c) Hidekaz Himaruya**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Lippy Kids<strong>

_'One lone June_  
><em>I came down from the trees<em>  
><em>And kerbstone cool<em>  
><em>You were a freshly painted angel' <em>

Lyrics from Lippy Kids by Elbow

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><p>Yao and Im Yong Soo had the advantage of being in the same form, which was 9A ("'A' for amazingly awesome da-ze!" Yong Soo would say.) Their form consisted of idiots, smart-ass kids and weird kids. Yao's group of friends were normal. Well they were the most normal…but still far from it. Yong Soo was obviously included. The others were Alfred F. Jones (an immature American brat), Arthur Kirkland (An English kid who couldn't cook for his bloody life) and Francis Bonnefoy (The class pervert. Sometimes he would be with his friends, Gilbirt and Antonio in their group called the Bad Touch Trio…or Bad Friends Trio, whatever you felt like saying.). But there was someone who was outside the group whom Yao was friends with. That boy was called Kiku Honda. A small Japanese boy with short black hair and had such sweet brown eyes. He was popular (one thing Yao wasn't) with everyone especially the girls. Everyone (including teachers) would call him perfect, smart and polite. But he was rather stoic at times. But apparently it added to his loveable personality.<p>

Even though they were friends. Over the years they had slowly grown apart. But they would still email each other at least…once a week. Yao would usually send a long rambling email and Kiku would reply with one sentence which would piss Yao off.

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><p>"We're here~!" Yong Soo proudly shouted to the members of the form. A few turned their heads to look, other just whispered amongst themselves. Yao simply sighed at sat down at his desk. Well things could be worse. Like the time they were late and then went into the wrong classroom and Yong Soo shouted something stupid that only their class would get. But it seemed as if everyone but Yao forgot about that. Miss Hédervár, their form teacher began to take the register. She spoke in a thick Hungarian accent, which sometimes made it a little difficult to understand her. She was a sweet and cheerful teacher, but when she lost her temper it was scary. Nevertheless she was pretty.<p>

This gave Yao the opportunity to glance around the class, to see who was in, who wasn't and who he was going to avoid. Yong Soo was on his new smart phone (that everyone had apart from Yao), on an instant messenger application talking to Alfred. Then there was Ivan, who had his eyes closed and was smiling. Smiling at Yao.

Ivan had always been the source of everything bad in Yao's life. He would always pick on Yao for no reason, yanked his hair, and made fun of his accent and culture. He would find every single little flaw and exploit it to the world. Yao suffered humiliation and he couldn't do anything to stop it. His school was filled with sick, mindless, heartless bastards. He could only carry on and do his best to ignore it.

Yao quickly turned away to look stare into space somewhere else. Then, his attention was turned to Kiku who nervously opened the door to the room. "I-I'm sorry I'm late miss." He politely said and took his seat, which was opposite Yao.

The two had met a few weeks after secondary school had started. Yao had found Kiku sitting on his own looking into space. He seemed depressed, and Yao didn't have many friends then so he thought he might as well say hi. It turned out they had a lot in common and they became very close. But even with so many similarities there were differences. Like the fact Kiku was popular and Yao wasn't. And Kiku always looked presentable, unlike Yao. But these differences were small but they seemed to impact Yao a bit. For example, if Yao was trying to talk to Kiku, suddenly someone (normally a girl) would interrupt and suddenly Yao became non-existent. And some people would always question Kiku why he would be hanging out with a scruffy kid such as Yao.

Soon after, Kiku wanted popularity, he wanted to get stronger and he wanted to get known. Sadly, this meant ditching Yao and talking to him as little as possible.

Because who wanted to be seen with an unpopular, scruffy, effeminate looking, small for his age, weak boy such as Yao?

Oh how Yao wished for those golden days.

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><p>It was lunch break and Yao was in the library. He didn't eat lunch…he wasn't hungry. He knew it was bad for him however he didn't really care.<p>

The library was quite large. There were several tables and chairs in neat little rows and a labyrinth of bookshelves. Yao was sitting in the corner at a table. Alone. The seat next to him was empty. He sighed and took out a thick black sketchbook and flicked through it. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" A sweet voice asked. Wait…that voice could only be…Yao swung around on his chair only to meet eyes with none other than…"Of course not aru! Well, it's nice to see you…Kiku."

The Japanese boy chuckled and sat down next to him. "You haven't said that in a long time Yao-san."

"I-I wonder why…aru…" It was true. Ever since Kiku became friends with the German and Italian kid, ever since he stopped seeing Kiku's face…he stopped the cute little suffix at the end of his sentences. But he still didn't have a clue to why.

"So why did you decide to

"Well we haven't talked in a while Yao-san," More like four weeks. "I thought we could use the time to catch up, I have some time." He smiled.

"That would be nice aru!" Yao grinned. Why was he so happy?

Time passed quickly and Yao found his eyes fixed on Kiku's lips as he talked, his eyes his… "Kiku! There you are! Help me!" A certain Italian came running over to them, waving a math textbook in front of Kiku's face. "I need help with my homework ve! Help me per favore!"

"Of course..." Kiku turned to Yao and bowed his head apologetically, "I'm sorry Yao. Maybe next time?" Of course the last time Kiku said that was…four weeks ago. Kiku stood up and began to walk away with Feliciano. "Yeah…next time." Yao frowned, hoping Kiku would turn his head and smile sweetly at Yao. But he didn't even look back. He looked at the floor and slapped himself. Seriously, why was he acting like this?

"Yao~!" A Korean voice called out to him from behind. Yong Soo happily ran over to Yao, clashing shoulders with Kiku, nudging him with force. Kiku flinched. He wanted to say something but politely held his tongue and carried on walking. Yong Soo sat on the empty chair next to Yao. "Ni hao…" Yao was still looking at the floor; he spoke in a dreamy voice.

"…Is there something the matter…? You don't seem to happy to see me." Something changed in Yong Soo's voice that sent a shiver up Yao's spine and made him snap back to reality. "I'm fine Yong Soo." This time, the response was firm and clear. Yong Soo shifted closer to Yao before grabbing his ponytail and forcing him to look up. His hands were cold and dry. It made Yao gasp. Why were they so cold? It was summer…not winter. "You were with _him _weren't you?" Yong Soo's voice dropped an octave. "Yes. So? Do you have a problem?" Yao's tone of voice was harsh. He didn't normally speak like this. It made Yong Soo's eyes widen a bit. This gave Yao the opportunity to free himself from Yong Soo's grasp. Yong Soo smirked at the question. He was never like this…why now…he seemed so- "Yes."

That one word shot right through Yao. He couldn't say anything. And despite being clever and an 'A* student' he could not sense the jealousy in his friend's voice. Yong Soo stood up and looked down at Yao with cold, piercing eyes. "Yao…" Yong Soo frowned. His voice now sounded childish, "How comes you don't say 'aru' to anyone _but him_? Is he special to you? What about _me_?" Wait…when did…

"None of your business!" Yao snapped at him, "And what were you doing? _Spying on me_?"

His 'friend' simply laughed. "Yes. So? _Do you have a problem_?" Yong Soo turned away and didn't say a word after that. Yao couldn't believe this…how_ dare_ his friend do that to him! "What's your problem Im Yong Soo? TELL ME!" In pure anger, he grabbed Yong Soo's shoulder and clenched it tightly. Forcefully, he turned Yong Soo around only to be greeted with a scared and confused face.

"Ouch…Yao what're you _doing_? I-It…that hurt you know…"

Yao didn't know what to say. He didn't know what just happened. He just stood there looking at Yong Soo. "A-Anyway hyung, there's nothing wrong with me…but is there something wrong with you? You don't normally raise your voice like that…but please calm down…people are staring…" Some people were in fact staring at them. Some looked confused, some a bit scared and some were pointing. Yao blushed in embarrassment. Shit what did he do?

"I'm sorry Yong Soo…I didn't know what came over me…" He looked down at the floor. Yong Soo smiled brightly in response. "It's okay hyung. I'll forgive you!"

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><p>The rest of the day continued normally. As if that event had never taken place.<p>

And Yao intended for it to stay that way.

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><p>Wow that took some time.<br>Over all I really liked this chapter.

'Per favore' means 'please' in Italian by the way.

Explaining time!  
>Right you know how Japan wanted power and kinds ditched China? I've applied that to the story. So he wants popularity and he believes Yao will drag him down.<br>Actually it happened to me so yeah I _know_.  
>I also liked the idea of giving Yong Soo a split personality. To show North and South if you get what I mean.<p>

Please look forward to the next chapter! Reviews are much appreciated~

-Lemonade from Darkness


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this took a bit long. I had loads of homework to do so I didn't have much time to type it up. Also, I had to cut out loads of things or the chapter would've dragged on for ages. So you know what that means? All the good and exciting stuff goes to next chapter! Ahaha...  
>So, without any further ado, I hope you enjoy the next chapter of Build A Rocket Boys!<p>

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><p><strong>Build A Rocket Boys!<strong>

**Hetalia AU fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. All characters (c) Hidekaz Himaruya**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: With Love<strong>

_'As anybody with a kind word would know _  
><em>Gonna find you <em>  
><em>Love will find you out <em>  
><em>Be sure love will find you out'<em>

Lyrics from With Love by Elbow

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><p>A few weeks had passed since that incident and Yao had become entranced by Kiku. However, along with this newfound fascination, he had also noticed Yong Soo acting a bit weird. For example he would always call Kiku "him" and one time, Yong Soo suddenly disappeared for a few days. He wouldn't reply Yao's calls or texts. The very few he sent him. But something really stood out to Yao. Yong Soo looked paler, thinner and what worried him more, were the fresh bruises and cuts he would spot on Yong Soo's arms. It worried him.<p>

One sunny Saturday, Yong Soo came to visit Yao to study, and what was the best place to study on this warm day in June than to stay inside with the blinds shut. The so called 'revision session' shortly turned into a social party (with only two people). But much to Yong Soo's disappointment, it seemed that everything they talked about was somehow linked to…_him_.

He understood now.

"Y-Yao-hyung? Can I ask you something?" Yong Soo asked, looking at the floor with a slight frown on his face.

"Sure…go ahead." Yao didn't like where this was going.

"…Do you _like him_?" Yong Soo turned his head to look at Yao with soulless eyes. It scared Yao. It scared him that his friend asked him that question. It scared him that his friend was looking at him with such lifeless eyes.

"N-No! Never! We're just…friends…" He protested. But deep down, he realised that he had fallen head over heels…with a boy no less.

"Yao. You talk about _him _all the time like you're an item."

"I-I don't love _Kiku_!"

…

"…Lying isn't nice Yao…" That voice again…that childlike, sickly sweet voice that Yao had heard that one time. Yao looked at the floor and sighed.

"I guess…I do _like_ him…" His face turned a shade of red.

"Aw~ that's _so_ cute! Hyung is in _love_!" Wait what just happened? Well at least Yong Soo was happy. But still, Yao was a boy and Kiku was a…"But wait! You don't have a problem?"

"Problem with what hyung?"

"With me…liking a boy." Yao's face grew redder. He knew his school was filled with homophobic retards. "Nope! I'm not like that hyung, you should know me better than that!" He laughed. Suddenly the door burst open.

Oh shit it was Kaoru.

"Gēgē _likes_ a _boy_?" He ran over to his brother and sat on him.

"Y-yeah…" Yao shamefully admitted, trying to push his brother off him. 'Damn he's getting heavier...' He thought. "Kaoru, don't say that like it's a bad thing!" Oh shit…it was his mum.

"...Māmā?" Yao spun around to look at his mother, who was slowly walking towards them. "I knew you had something for your cute, little friend~" She chuckled to herself.

"Ah, so Mrs. Mei knew too?" Yong Soo grinned.

"Ah, but of course, māmā knows everything about her xiao bao bei~" She winked and smiled at her son, who was blushing madly. "Well, we're all here for you if something happens, remember that sweetie." And as any loving mother would do, she carefully wrapped her arms around him.

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><p>"You're…what! A-and you…Kiku…!"<p>

"Shut up you git! He said _not_ to blurt it out!"

Yao's group of friends (Alfred, Arthur, Francis and Yong Soo) were all in the drama room that their form tutor let them go into at lunch break. Having just told them his secret, Yao asked them not to tell anyone.

"Hey dude, we won't just be told to do something like that!"

"W-What...?

"Oui mon ami~ Just what are we to you?"

"Y-You're my friends! You're people that I can trust!"

"Yeah, so as friends, we won't just be asked to do something. We should be the ones that-"

"That Hyung, we will not let you down!"

And with a simple brofist between the five friends, the end to the small meeting was brought to a close. Thus cheerful laughter and conversation broke out between the friends.

Silently, a dark shadow walked away swiftly from the door of the room. A smile flickered on his face filled with darkness.

"This…will be fun~"

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><p>The next day, everyone was giving Yao weird looks…or was that just his self-consciousness eating away at him again? Some people pointed, other laughed or backed away. It made Yao feel uneasy. Really uneasy. But being like the loyal friend he was, Yong Soo stayed by Yao's side…with a deep frown on his face.<p>

Because he knew.

He knew that a dark time was upon his dear friend.

As soon as they stepped inside the class, there was a roar of laughter and eyes that were shot right at Yao. Yong Soo stepped in front of Yao and… "EVERYBODY SHUT UP." A hot surge of anger filled his bodies as sniggers and whispers filled the air. Yao quietly went to his seat. Honestly, he was scared of that side of Yong Soo.

"Is it true?"

_Huh?_

"Must be! Look at him, his face is so red! Why else would his friend stick up for him like that?"

_Wait what…__?_

"Poor Kiku…having someone like Yao fall for him. A boy no less."

_Who…__?_

"Alright class! Time to draw your attention away from whatever's distracting you and be quiet for the register!"

_Thank God for that._

Later at break, the usual gang was at the drama room. Only…the atmosphere was different.

"I swear I didn't tell anybody! I know I have a big mouth but I would _never _do that!"

"I didn't tell anyone. _Why would I need or have to_?"

"Mon ami, rest assured I did _not_ tell a soul!"

"Hyung…You know me…I couldn't tell anyone…I'm not like that…"

Yao was sitting on the floor in the darkest corner of the room. He buried his red eyes, worn out form crying, in his arms and his legs were pulled up to his chest. The others were sitting beside or in front of him apart from Yong Soo, who was sitting on one of the wooden stage blocks, look down at Yao who would sometimes look back up at him.

Suddenly there was a light knock at the door.

"Can't you see we're busy you-" Arthur opened the door only to be greeted by Kiku's blushing face. "…Oh it's you," Arthur turned to face Yao, "it's Kiku." He stood in Kiku's line of vision so he couldn't see the state Yao was in, another request from Yao. The small Chinese boy looked up for a second the looked back down when he saw Kiku and slowly nodded his head. Arthur moved out of Kiku's way so the small Japanese boy could look at Yao. And slowly, he uttered three words: "Is it true?" It made Yao cringe and Yong Soo shot a glare at Kiku. Yao looked weakly at Yong Soo and shook his head slowly before turning his head to look at his beloved. "Shì de aru…" He smiled weakly. Kiku's eyes widened a bit and let out a small gasp. Yao closed his eyes and stood up, back against the cold wall.

"I'm sorry."

In a flash arms were quickly wrapped around Yao's shaking body. "It's okay to like me like that…" It took a moment for Yao to realize those were Kiku's arms and Kiku's voice. He smiled and thought,'…_maybe….it's going to happen.' _Kiku looked at Yao who was looking at him with his clouded eyes then let go of Yao and turned away.

"…I just need some time…to think…"

Yao's heart sank. Then a question came to his mind… "Kiku," He put a hand on Kiku and turned him around, "Kiku…who told you aru?" Kiku looked at the floor, then at the people around him, then at Yao, then back at the floor.

"Ivan."

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><p>I hope you enjoyed this chapter :<p>

'Mon ami' means 'my friend' in French (I'm taking it for GCSE so I should know)  
>'Xiao bao bei' means 'precious little treasure' in Chinese. Straight from Chinese Cinderella which is a very touching book. I recommend you read it. It's a true story!<br>'Māmā' means 'mum' in Chinese. I should know because I'm part Chinese ahahaha...

Ja, Taiwan is the mum because I think she'd make a good mum.

Please look forward to the next chapter! Reviews are much appreciated~

-Lemonade from Darkness


	4. Chapter 4

I'm so sorry this took so long to come out. I've been really busy. I went to Germany for a bit with my school, and I've got exam preparation and I've had to really get on with my life.

Well, this is a heads up. This chapter contains strong language and violence. I feel as though I could've written better but it's so hard to write this stuff when you're not in a bad mood.

I'm working on another story called One Day Like This which is probably going to be a one shot. And it's going to be **happy**.

Anyways, please enjoy the next instalment of **Build A Rocket Boys!**

* * *

><p><strong>Build A Rocket Boys!<strong>

**Hetalia AU fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. All characters (c) Hidekaz Himaruya**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Neat Little Rows<strong>

'_Lay my bones in cobblestones_  
><em>Lay my bones in neat little rows<em>  
><em>Lay my bones in cobblestones<em>  
><em>Lay my bones in neat little rows<em>'

Lyrics from Neat Little Rows by Elbow

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><p>It was the last lesson of the day. And Yao knew that afterwards he could finally go home. However there was still one lesson and that was the lesson Yao really hated: P.E. (physical education). Mainly because he was so unfit. He used to be really flexible and very good at gymnastics. But of course it made him seem even more effeminate and then came the bullying, definitely some<em> fun<em> times for Yao.

Especially this lesson on this day made it worse. It meant being around people. Yao didn't want to be around people right now.

So the task was simple. Football. They were put into groups and told to play matches against each other. It had only been a few minutes in and Yao could already hear his 'teammates' whispering behind his back. But there was one person who was in the centre of all of it. Yao decided to approach him. "What're _you_ doing here?"

"Hm~? I'm in Yao's team, am I not~?" Stupid, creepy, Russian kid…

"I-I…Y-Yeah…" Was all Yao could say. What he really wanted to do was shout and wipe that smug look off of that _thing's_ face.

The first match was over and Yao's team had pathetically lost.

"God, you're useless!"

"I-I'm sor-"

"You can't even pass properly!"

"S-Sorry…"

"Why can't you kick the fucking ball?"

"I-I…"

"You let kicked the ball into our own goal? You're such a fob!"

"I-I didn't mean-"

"Run back to China little gay boy da~?"

…why…why? Why? WHY? WHY WAS THIS-

_snap_

"I-I don't…I DON'T GET IT ANYMORE."

Eyes were looking this way.

"What's WRONG with ME? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?"

Choking tears.

"YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF PRICKS."

Heavy breathing. Vision blurred.

Yao pointed a finger at Ivan and took a deep breath. He couldn't quite see Ivan's expression. All he could see was a blurry figure. "You…You SON OF A BITCH. Nosey BASTARD. Why me? I haven't done anything to you! I haven't…I don't deserve…I did NOTHING WRONG." Yao's screams shook through the school.

The small Chinese boy collapsed to his knees. He hit the floor hard. Blood emerged from the newly formed cuts. And all that could be heard were Yao's sobs and the footsteps of teachers and friends. Yong Soo held Yao close to him, trying to stop the tears while whispering: "its alright." over and over in his ear. Arthur and Alfred rushed over the scene to try and comfort Yao while various pupils were harassing Ivan.

Ivan shoved them out of the way to look down at Yao"Weak boy. How dare-" Alfred's fist cut him off. Two teachers came for drag Ivan away and two others dragged Yao away to speak with him in private about what just happened.

After school, Yong Soo walked Yao back home. They said nothing. They did not look at each other. They did not smile.

They parted ways at Yao's door. Yong Soo smiled sadly and whispered a small goodbye. Yao only nodded in response. The taller boy walked off, glancing back to look at Yao, only to see he had disappeared inside of his house…his home

What is a house? A building. What is a home? A home is where a loving family lives. It is filled with happiness and kindness. Emotions are shared freely.

Yong Soo violently slammed the door of his house. It was a mess. It was a dump. It was…it was somewhere he didn't want to be. The smell of cigarettes and sex filled the air. He crept up to a door and opened it and grimaced at the sight before slamming it. Someone had been in his house. He gritted his teeth. Of course, anyone would think he was used to it. They would think he was used to the fact his dad left his mother who then became a wreck and spent her days drinking and her nights sleeping with various men.

But he wasn't.

Check the fridge. See if there's any food. Three days so far…empty. Yong Soo was surviving on the scraps in the house and any money he could…'find'. He looked down at his uniform "Too small…" He was a growing boy with a tight shirt and short trousers. No wonder he was picked on at school. That he got used to. They were only stupid little kids and were…easy to deal with.

He slumped down on his bed and shut his eyes tightly. The whole bloody house stank up to Heaven…but this was hell.

His eyes slowly fluttered open. He had time on his hands; he might as well do something than be stuck indoors all day. Yong Soo rolled off his bed and crawled on the floor, getting things and putting them in his school bag. Then, he stumbled to his almost empty closet and pulled out some of the only clean clothes he could find. And quickly changed He remembered his money as running out. Even though his mum quit her job, they were given money monthly by the government. It wasn't much but it would do. Then there was that money that his mum got from her so called 'job'.

_Knock knock _

"Who…?" Yong Soo nervously walked to the door, clutching his school bag. "Not mother…she shouldn't be home now…she would've used her keys…I hope it's Yao but…he never…I don't let…" Slowly, he opened the door. Before him stood a lady wearing tight clothing that revealed far too much skin. She had long, silky black hair and reeked of cigarettes, and Yong soo was ashamed to call her…

"Mother."

"What?" She obviously wasn't in the best mood.

"W-What're you doing here?" He mumbled as he was harshly pushed to the side.

"This is _my_ home. I have a right to come back here fucking brat." She yelled as she slammed the door.

"I-I'm sorry I-I didn't mean it like that! But mother why are you upset?" Yong Soo tried to change the subject but then realised, it wasn't the best subject to change it to. "It's none of your fucking business! Stupid brat! Why didn't that fucking slut of a man take this wretched garbage with him?"

"Don't say that about him! If anyone is a slut it's _**you**_!" Tears streamed down Yong Soo's face as a hard hand slapped him across the face.

"**What**" One. "**Did**" Two. "**You**" Three. **"****Call**" Four. "**Me?**" Yong Soo's face was red and his nose was bleeding. The tears streaming down his face washed the blood away. All he could feel was the pain of his own mother hitting him. Her screams of anger and his screams of pain and hurt, in turn seemed to drown each other out.

"You're useless!"

"You're a fucking wimp!"

"You should never have been born!"

"You're a fucking retard! I let you live in _my_ house and yet you can't seem to get an 'A'!"

"I never wanted a child with some stupid bi-polar condition! I can't even afford to buy the fucking pills! Just _**die**_already!"

"It's _**your**_ fault he left me!"

"**Get out of my house!"**

And with that, the door was swung open and Yong Soo was pushed into the street. His mum uttered something under her breath before slamming the door. "P-Please let me back in! I'm sorry!" His tears and the noise his fists made as he punched the door drowned his words out. But it was hopeless. No response. This was it. He finally had nowhere to go. Still clutching his school bag, he stood up and wiped away some of the tears and the flowing blood. For once, he had a bit of clothing that wasn't horribly small for him, this shirt just had over sized sleeves. Perfect for hiding the blood and tears from sight.

The air started to turn cold. Yong Soo sat on a bench in a park. It was scattered with litter but it was almost empty, no one around to see him in this state. Maybe Yao would worry about him? He shook his head. As much as he tried, he never got Yao's full approval. It was all about Kiku. Kiku this, Kiku that. It drove him insane. Yong Soo pulled his knees up to his chest. Maybe he should pay Yao a visit? What would he say?

"Yong Soo? What 'cha doing here?" Who…? Yong Soo looked around to see Alfred grinning stupidly.

"…I just want to sit here…" His voice was horribly weak.

"Dude, are you okay? A-And you do know your nose is bleeding?" Alfred's smile quickly faded as he sat next to the Korean boy to take a closer look.

"I-I'm fine…" Yong Soo tried to lie.

"Your face is…bruised…did something happen?" Alfred pulled out some tissues and began to wipe away the blood.

"I-I…didn't mean to say those things…but mother…s-she…now I have no where to gp…" The Korean broke into tears, burying his face in his sleeves.

"Your mom did this?" The usually cheerful American's voice sounded unusually concerned. "I don't like seeing my friend like this…"

"But Yao doesn't care." A soft yet cold breeze swept by.

"What the fuck? Of course he would care!"

"He doesn't," Yong Soo turned to look at Alfred with soulless eyes, "Yao only has eyes for Kiku. Even though I try my best…he never looks at me…he has the eyes that see through me…I am…no one…"

"Why did you bring Yao into this?" Alfred's voice was mixed with confusion, sadness and anger. Why was he bringing Yao into this? How dare his mum abuse her only son! How dare he bring Yao into this when it has nothing to do with him!

"Because I love him."

* * *

><p>Ooooooh cliffhanger~<p>

Please look forward to the next chapter! Reviews are much appreciated (they keep my morale up!)~

-Lemonade from Darkness

Oh by the way, I'm planning on doing a historical fan fiction based on the events after WW1 in Germany. This includes the Treaty of Versailles, the Great Depression and other things that I have learned from my history lesson~ It's very interesting stuff and I hope to educate people in the subject!


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry, I've got exams and such and the next few weeks will be busy so I wanted to get this chapter done as soon as possible. But I promise once I get off school, I'll be writing more!

Another heads up, this chapter contains some strong language and violence of some sort.

Well, without further ado, please enjoy the next instalment of **Build A Rocket Boys!**

* * *

><p><strong>Build A Rocket Boys!<strong>

**Hetalia AU fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. All characters (c) Hidekaz Himaruya**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: Jesus is a Rochdale Girl<strong>

_'And Jesus is a Rochdale girl  
>And forty-five CDs<br>Got a house that you can smoke in  
>So all my friends found me<em>_'_

Lyrics from Jesus is a Rochdale Girl by Elbow

* * *

><p>"What… was that?" Alfred looked at Yong Soo with wide eyes.<p>

"I-It's…just I've known Yao for a long time…and I just began to…grow a liking for him but," He clenched his fist, "It's always been about Kiku…he means so much more to Yao than I am. W-What do I do?" He clenched his head and tried his best to hold back the tears.

"W-Well…" Alfred, being the type of person he was, tended not to get involved in these situations. "Let's talk to Yao. I'm sure he'll understand." He smiled warmly at Yong Soo who only looked back at him and nodded slowly.

* * *

><p>"Y-You <em>what<em>?" Yao stepped back a bit.

Yong Soo and Alfred were in the living room of Yao's house. Luckily for them, Yao's mum and Kaoru were out.

"I told you. I _really_ like you." Yong Soo was trying his best to stay strong.

"Why…why _now_? You _know_ I like Kiku." Why was all this…all this crap pouring down on him…why now? Why all at once? "Just…go home."

Yong Soo's eyes widened. Alfred was about to say something but held is tongue. For once… for once he knew…he shouldn't say anything stupid. Yao looked away. Waiting for this…intruder…to get out of his home until…something…there was something in Yong Soo's eyes. Before Yao had anytime to react…before anyone had any time to react, Yao felt himself slammed against the wall with Yong Soo's hands gripped tightly on his shoulders.

That look.

"N-No one…no one l-loves me…" The grip increased. Yao couldn't move. "Everyone…hurts me…Yao…." … "YAO."

"W-What?" Yao struggled but Yong Soo's hands were firm.

"Let go of him!" Alfred tried to pull Yong Soo away form Yao but he was kicked to the side.

"Do you know how it feels…DO YOU KNOW?" In response Yao just shook his head. "Of course you don't! No one knows how I feel. Everyone focuses on themselves all the time. Even my 'best friend' ignores me! My mother hates me! I have NO HOME TO GO BACK TO!" Slowly, with shaking hands, he let Yao go.

_BAM_

Yao quickly darted to the side only to find out…he didn't need to. Yong Soo just stood…frozen…his fists on the wall…blood dripping…staining the purity. "I-I could never hit…or hurt you Yao. I've done…something wrong. I was jealous. I _am_ jealous that you love someone that's DONE JACKSHIT FOR YOU." He punched the wall again. Yao sank to the floor and could only watch in horror as his friend continued to punch the now pinkish wall. Alfred, who could now stand up, quickly grabbed Yong Soo from behind and pinned him down. At first, Yong Soo struggled then shortly gave up and burst into tears and started to apologise…over and over again.

All this time…Yao did nothing.

Alfred got off Yong Soo who looked dead. Yao crawled over and kneeled down where his head was and carefully placed it on his lap. "Alfred, clean up this blood…and get some bandages." … "Now." Yao glared at Alfred who quickly ran out of the room to get what he was ordered to get. He shortly returned with wet tissues to clean the blood on the walls and on Yong Soo's fists. He tossed some bandages over to Yao who just let them fall in front of him.

Yao picked up one of the Korean's fists and dabbed his knuckles with some o the damp tissues. "W-what're you doing Yao?"

"I'm helping you…silly boy aru." Yong Soo smiled a bit. He was finally saying 'aru' to him. Did what mean he was special? By the time Yong Soo had finished his happy thoughts, Yao's small and delicate hands had finished wrapping both hands in bandages. "Next time…tell me…if she does something to you aru." He whispered as he stroked one of the bruises on his cheek. Yong Soo cringed. It hurt but "I thought you wouldn't care…"

"Don't give me that bullshit aru!"

"You…it seemed as if it was all about Kiku…you're infatuated with him…I…felt alienated." It suddenly struck Yao. "You don't notice how much I suffer helping you…I starve to make sure you feel alright. Kiku…he hasn't done anything…" Dumbstruck. Dumbfounded. Dumb…everything…he was dumb. How could he _not_ notice?

A tear dropped onto Yong Soo's face. "Hyung…why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry aru…" He kept on repeating those words.

"Hyung stop being silly I forgive you. I'll forgive you for anything."

"That. Was. So. Moving." Alfred's eyes were literally glittering.

"Well thanks so much for killing the mood aru!"

"'S okay!" Alfred grinned before finding himself tackled to the ground by Yao. Yong Soo sat up and simply laughed at them.

After all was sorted and everyone was smiling, Alfred took his leave. Yong Soo was about to go until Yao grabbed his sleeve. "You said you had no where to go…just stay here aru."

* * *

><p>Later, when Yong Soo explained he had forgotten his keys and his mum was out of town for a while, Yao's caring mother was obliged to let Yao's dear friend stay over for as long as he wanted.<p>

That night, Yong Soo and Yao were lying in their beds, side by side. Yong Soo couldn't ask for anything better.

"Ya know what hyung?"

"What aru?"

"When I first saw you, I honestly thought you were a girl!" Yong Soo grinned.

"S-Shut up aru! I'm masculine in every single way!"

"A very pretty girl might I add" He chuckled at Yao's blushing face. "By the way…it wasn't at school when I met you, it was a long time ago." Yao thought for a second. He remembered going somewhere but…was it really...

"Rochdale Market aru?"

"Yeah that's it. When you walked into me and you fell over. You started crying because you lost your parents or something. We were…five-ish? Speaking of which how did you find them?"

"Oh…" Yao blushed at the thought of his younger self, crying on the streets in front of Yong Soo's younger self. "Well aru, I guess…" Yao took a deep breath. This would take some time.

* * *

><p>"I was alone up until I met you aru. I remember your parents were busy and you tried to stop me crying aru…somehow. But after you left I was alone again. Then I saw another boy around the same age as me aru. He said he'd help me find my parents aru. So while holding hands so we didn't get lost, we weaved through the crowds. I think in the end we did. Ask my mum about it, she'd remember it more than me aru."<p>

"Yao…what happened to your dad anyways?" Yong Soo asked. Yao never really spoke of him.

"He…I…was told he died before I was born aru."

"Oh…I'm sorry for asking…I'm stupid."

And eerie swept through the room.

"A-Anyways I guess I remembered you because…who could forget such an effeminate face?" Yong Soo forced out a laugh.

"I do NOT look like a girl aru!"

"Sure~" Cooed a sarcastic voice. "But Yao…I really should thank you. I doubted you and I'm sorry. If it weren't for you (and Alfred but mainly you), I'd be outside in the…dark. You're a miracle and a savoir."

Yao closed his eyes, "It should be me who should be apologising aru so shut up."

"Yao is my little Rochdale girl~ Jesus is a Rochdale girl~" Yong Soo burst out laughing only to be silenced by a pillow to the face.

* * *

><p>It was the next day. A lovely Saturday morning it was. No school, no annoying pricks…just two days to relax… two days only. Yao sighed and looked at the ceiling. Yong Soo was with Alfred. Yao was happy Yong Soo had support from someone other than himself.<p>

_Ding dong_

Yao casually opened the door to see Kiku who seemed quite tense. "Kiku aru…something wrong?"

"Forget about me! Are you okay Yao-san! I heard about yesterday and…I feel somewhat guilty…" Kiku bowed his head apologetically and carried on apologising. '_Seriously, what's up with everyone apologising like this these days?_' Yao thought before grabbing Kiku by the shoulders. "If it's anyone's fault it's Ivan's fault. It could never be you." He smiled and opened the door wider for Kiku to come in.

The two boys sat in Yao's room just talking like boys would normally talk. Yao sat on his bed and Kiku sat unusually close next to him. "H-Hey Kiku…"

"What is it Yao-san?"

"Have you ever been to Rochdale Market before aru?"

"Yes I have, why do you ask?"

"Do you remember when we met there aru, ages ago?"

Kiku pondered for a second until he realised, "We h-held hands…" He blushed and looked down. Yao couldn't help but squeal inside his head. Kiku was just adorable, and when he was blushing like this…enough said. "B-But that was really…you?" In response Yao nodded his head.

The two sat in an awkward silence until Kiku opened his mouth to speak. "There was another reason I came to visit you Yao-san…"

"And that would be…?" Yao gulped, hoping Kiku was going to say what he thought he was going to say. But Kiku didn't say anything; instead he did something Yao was unprepared for. He slowly leaned his head forward to plant a gentle kiss on Yao's cheek and quickly sat up straight again.

Yao sat there, trying to take in everything that was happening then managed to utter the words, "Why?"

In which Kiku replied, "Well…I…the reason why I started to separate from you is that…I fell in love with you and I didn't want you to know, just in case you…didn't 'swing that way'…I had to get away but then I heard the rumour and I can say I was overjoyed but…I wanted to know that it wasn't just a rumour, then when I found out it wasn't I swear I was dreaming I-"

Yao's lips silenced him. This was Yao's first time, of course he didn't know if he was doing this right, not all boys know first time. Slowly and carefully, he let go of Kiku who seemed disappointed that he didn't go any further, but to make it up to him, he pulled Kiku up onto his lap and smiled at him and kissed his nose. "My Rochdale girl." Kiku whispered.

'_Seriously, Kiku too?_' He didn't seem _that _effeminate…did he? But he shrugged off the thought and kissed Kiku again, but deeper and with more passion. And what seemed like such a long, romantic kiss was interrupted by…

"MUM. Tell Yao to stop making out with his boyfriend it's _disgusting_!" Kaoru ran out of the room shortly followed by Kiku and Yao who were yelling things like: "It's not like that!" and "I SWEAR IF YOU TELL ANY ONE I'LL…" and "P-Please just forget what you saw…"

"I'll keep quiet about it if you make me something to eat!"

"Dea-"

"Keep quite about what dear~?" Yao's mother appeared from behind Kaoru.

"About the fact Gēgē was making out with Kiku." Kaoru grinned and looked at the embarrassed pair who stood there awkwardly.

"…Yao…."

"Y-yes mama aru?"

"That…IS JUST SO CUTE!" She squealed as she wrapped her arms around the two boys. "I'm so happy you found someone Yao~ and that it was Kiku out of all people~" Yao blushed madly and escaped from his mother's 'loving' arms. "I-I'm…W-We're going to…go…now…aru…" He quickly grabbed Kiku's hand and the pair ran upstairs to Yao's room and slammed the door shut.

"Kaoru, next time knock before entering someone's room." Mei wagged her finger at her son who pouted and nodded as a response.

Back in Yao's room, the two were laying comfortably on the bed with arms wrapped around each other. "Sorry about that aru." Yao sighed and kissed Kiku's cheek. He swore he would never get tired of that.

"It's okay Yao-san. As long as I'm with you, I'm happy." He smiled warmly, closed his eyes and buried his head in Yao's chest.

Yao smiled and closed his eyes too, then softly whispered a small song to Kiku:

"And nothing to be proud of, and nothing to regret. All of that to make as yet, all of that to make as yet."

"And Jesus is a Rochdale girl."

* * *

><p>It's almost midnight and my eyes are burning. I've probably made a few errors so please tell me if I have...<br>The song was actually about a girl the singer had met at Rochdale Market (someplace in England) so I decided to put a bit of that into the story!

Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter, they actually make me smile. Normally it would make me smile on the inside but I really do love reading those! *smiles*

So please look forward to the next chapter~! And please, keep on sending those reviews in because I do really love reading them and they're my motivation for writing! They let me know you like my writing!

-Lemonade from Darkness


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone I'm sorry this took a bit of time. However I'm going to Italy tomorrow (01/08) so I thought I might as well get it done now, then work on the rest while I'm there. Anyways, please enjoy the next chapter of **Build A Rocket Boys!.**

**Build A Rocket Boys!**

**Hetalia AU fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. All characters (c) Hidekaz Himaruya**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: The Night Will Always Win<strong>

_'I throw this to the wind  
>But what if I was right<br>Well, did you trust your noble dreams  
>And gentle expectations to the mercy of the night?<br>The night will always win  
>The night has darkness on its side<br>I'll throw this to the wind__'_

Lyrics from The Night Will Always Win by Elbow

* * *

><p>And as quick as a flash, the peaceful weekend ended. A few weeks had passed since then as if nothing had happened. It was all what Yao wanted. Him and Kiku's relationship was a secret. No one knew but Yao's family. Yong Soo was no longer staying with Yao because 'his mum at returned from being outside of town' which actually meant Yong Soo had (with the help from Yao) got an extra pair of keys from the lock smith after telling the gullible fool exactly the same thing they had told Yao's mum. But it didn't matter how gullible the guy was or not, as long as Yong Soo was at his…house. Luckily for him (and conveniently) his mum had forgotten her keys. That meant she couldn't get in, of course unless she had the brains to actually do what her son did…unfortunately for her, her alcohol infested brain stopped her from doing so.<p>

For once, everyone was content.

* * *

><p>It was sometime in the middle of July, school was ending soon and everyone seemed to have plans. Mostly everyone. Yao and a few others had been hit by the current recession and really couldn't afford to go anywhere.<p>

Yao struggled to keep his eyes open. It was the last lesson of the day and he had the misfortune of having to sit behind Ivan. He used to sit near Kiku and Yong Soo but apparently they were a 'distraction'. '_Damn teacher changing the fucking seating plan…_' Yao thought as he tried to focus on what the teacher was writing on the board…wait since when was he in a maths lesson?

"Hey. Can I borrow a pen?" Now who was this it was…erm…

"Lend a pen to you Ivan? No way in hell aru." He scowled and tried to look past Ivan. Damn why was he so tall?  
>"Please~ I'll give it back, promise!" He whined. It made Yao's ears bleed.<p>

And the whining continued. For around three minutes then Yao gave in.

Now…what were they doing now? O-Oh yeah…Pythagoras' theorem in…wait what was this?

"W-What the hell do you think you're doing aru?" He shot at Ivan who was chewing on _his _pen.

"I'm thinking about more ways to make you feel bad about yourself~ I haven't done that in a while." He smiled and looked back to the whiteboard. Yao could feel a surge of anger rising in his body.

"OH FOR GOD'S SAKE!" He stood up and violently snatched the pen (which Ivan was using to clean his ears) out of Ivan's hands and snapped it in half and threw it at Ivan.

Heads spun around to see what was going on.

Yao looked down at Ivan to meet with his icy eyes. "I really shouldn't bother being nice to you aru."

Ivan smirked. "I'm sorry Yao, I can't take you seriously with that 'aru' shit. Anyway, didn't I tell you this before? 'Run back to China little gay boy'. You're not very good at listening, da~?"

A fire burned in Yao's eyes. "You communist bastard!" He shouted as he picked up his bag and whacked Ivan round the head with it. One. Two. Three. Yet it appeared that he had sustained no damage.

Everything went silent.

Suddenly, Ivan stood up and did something that terrified everyone.

"**What**" One. "**Did**" Two. "**You**" Three. **"****Call**" Four. "**Me?**"

Strike four. Yao was out.

* * *

><p>It seemed as if…if he finally had the guts to stand up to someone, he'd get beaten back down. And this time it was quite literal.<p>

When Yao came to his senses, he found him in his bed at home.

"…Hyung…are you awake now?" A soft voice asked. He turned to his side and saw Yong Soo and Kiku.

"W-What happened aru?" He yawned as he sat up.

"W-Well…You were knocked out pretty badly…well, you would've been alright if you didn't hit the floor…a-and…" Kiku tried to find the words.

"Your head started to bleed and everyone panicked. The school informed your mum. She was working today and couldn't come to collect you, so she personally asked the staff if we could take you home." He smiled. "Just rest now hyung."

"What happened to Ivan?" Yao looked down.

"I don't know…but I assume he'll be expelled." Kiku frowned, then looked at Yao who caught his gaze. "It's just good to see you're okay. Do as Yong Soo says and just rest."

Yong Soo stood up, "Well, I'll be off. I've got things to take care of~" He patted Yao's head and took his leave. For some reason, Yao didn't like the sound of that.

Kiku smiles softly. "Well we're alone now." …Wait was Kiku trying to imply something? Yao opened his mouth to say something but was silenced by Kiku's lips. He crawled on top of Yao's lap and smiled.

"I don't think this is resting aru." Yao smirked

"No, no it isn't." Kiku chuckled and kissed Yao's head. "I'm just really happy that you're alright." He stopped to think for a second. "Does your head hurt?" He tilted he head to the side.

In response, Yao grinned, "If you kiss it again then it won't hurt aru~"

* * *

><p>The next day, Yao's mum insisted he stayed at home. And of course, Yao took that opportunity to rest. "I'm sorry Yao, I wish I could be here to look after you but I have work, and since I'm the only one working…well I've got to keep working. I have <em>my<em> precious family to look after all~" She kissed her son's cheek before leaving the house with Kaoru attached to her hand. Who used his unoccupied hand to wave at his brother as the two let the room.

Today, on his way to school, Kiku thought of doing something he would've never done. He stood outside of Yao's house and knocked on the door. Yao, who was reading on the sofa in the living room, slowly made his way to the door and opened it…very…slowly until he could see Kiku's face, then he quickly opened it. "K-Kiku…what're you _doing_ here aru? I texted you and Yong Soo telling you I wouldn't be in."

"Well I wanted to see you today…"

"But you have to go to school aru."

"But I wanted to see you…" He mumbled and looked at the floor. '_Ai ya! Why is he so adorable when he does that?_' Yao blushed at the 'cuteness' that stood before him. He heavily sighed. "Fine aru. You can bunk at my house. But don't blame me if your parents get angry." He opened the door for Kiku who happily stepped inside and closed the door.

Yao went back to lying down on the sofa and reading. Kiku kneeled on the floor in front of him. "So…erm…" Kiku tried to hink of something to say in the awkward silence. "W-What're you reading?" He finally found something to say.

"A book…"

"About?"

"…Something…" He looked at Kiku who seemed quite bored. Sighing deeply, he lifted Kiku on to his lap who suddenly got startled.

"Y-Yao-san…?" Yao smiled and put his book down and looked at Kiku.

"Hm? Kiku, something the matter?" He smiled and pressed his lips against Kiku's.

The rest of the morning seemed to go well for the two.

* * *

><p>"A-Arthur?"<p>

It was around noon and the kids at school were having lunch. Yao and Kiku were huddled together on the sofa. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was Arthur.

"What do you want?" Yao asked with a slight hit of annoyance. He and Arthur got on and they were friends, but they weren't buddy-buddy.

Arthur groaned, "Just shut up and listen for a sec Yao. Do you know where Yong Soo is?"

"N-No I don't… he didn't come round this morning so I don't know…"

"There's this-"

"DUDE. There's this crazy-ass rumour saying that him and Ivan got into some fight or something and Ivan isn't at school dude! IT'SSOCRAZY!"

Yao and Kiku could hear Arthur and Alfred fighting on the other side of the phone. If this were an anime, he would surely see a sweat drop on both of their faces. He held the phone away from him and looked at Kiku, who was lying on top of him and gave him a concerned look. Kiku could somehow read Yao's mind and took the phone off of him. "We'll go check up on him then." He spoke so sweetly but in such a serious tone. Yao sighed, if only Yong Soo knew that even Kiku cared about him.

"W-Wait Kiku what're you doing at Yao's place?" Alfred asked, who just got control over the phone again. Then he actually for once, stopped and thought. "Oh I see~" He chuckled and whispered, "I won't tell anyone about you two~"

"Tell anyone about _what_?" Arthur's voice was slightly muffled, but could be heard in the background.

"Both of you SHUT UP aru!" Yao shouted down the phone. Kiku gave him one of those 'I-didn't-know-you-could-be-like-that' looks.

Finally there was a bit on silence.

"Here's what we'll do aru. Kiku and I will go to Yong Soo's house and see if he's all right. If not, we'll call you back and you need to dig around for more information aru." He looked at Kiku for a second and quietly mumbled, "And yes we're going out aru…NOW ARE YOU HAPPY?" He shouted as he quickly hung up to look at Kiku who was giving him one of those 'Are-you-sure-you-should've-done-that' looks. He nodded firmly in response.

There were more important things right now.

* * *

><p>Yong Soo looked at the sky. Wasn't this meant to be summer? It was like something out of 'Romeo and Juliet' where when the storm came, Romeo, Mercutio and Tybalt died. He chuckled to himself and looked at his reflection in a shattered piece of glass. Beaten up and bruised. He only…wanted to please Yao. He wanted Yao to look at him and say "Thank you aru." He wanted Yao to be happy. He wanted his love to he happy. He…wanted to get rid of the problem.<p>

He flinched as the first of many raindrops poured down from the sky and quickly ran to find a bus stop. '_Finally, some shelter at long last._' He thought as he sat down. He leaned his head against the cold glass and tried to think of when things went downhill.

When Yong Soo was younger, he developed split personalities. At the time, when his parents were together and working, they had the money to afford the medication he needed to suppress his other self.

Every time he slipped into this other personality, he would forget everything when he returned to normal. It would be like waking up from a dream you had forgotten and you would remember small, vague parts.

But today, he didn't remember anything.

Earlier in the day and Yong Soo had slipped away to his darker side and was walking to school. He sighed, and thought to himself that leaving Yao and Kiku together in a room together the previous day was a bad idea. The more he thought about it, the more he became filled with anger, hate and jealousy. Then he noticed a certain someone…a tall person with a scarf…Ivan. He gritted his teeth. He was the source of all Yao's problems. Maybe he could…do something about it.

Only later he found out it was a terrible mistake. His body was still weak from his mum's abuse and from his hunger and his…loneliness. He remembered Yao once telling him "Hunger and loneliness…they must be the two most horrible things to experience…and I hope none of us ever go through that."

Ivan was strong. It seemed as if he was holding a 1,000,000-man army in his hand. Every punch and every slap felt as if it was his mother. He was able to endure it. Until…

He woke up in an ally way near the school. It was near his house and…thank the heavens it was near his house. Well, relatively near his house at least. But he was confused. "What the hell just happened?" He mumbled as he looked at the several bruises.

* * *

><p>"He doesn't appear to be home…" Kiku frowned. "It's raining Yao…we should hurry up and look elsewhere." He sighed and looked at Yao who was running towards a figure. "Y-Yao-san? W-Where're you going?" he called and ran after him.<p>

"YONG SOO WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU ARU?" Yao shouted as he closed the distance between the two even more.

"I-I don't know…"

"Did Ivan do this to you aru?" He frowned and hugged his friend.

"I don't know…" He broke into tears. "I-I just remember waking up…covered in bruises…" He chocked up tears in between word.

"Yao-san!" Kiku panted. He hated running so much. "Yao-san, Yong-Soo-san, let's go…it's raining heavily and it would be terrible for either one of you to get sick." Yao nodded his head and started to walk back to his house.

"Yao…my place is just a few minutes that way…it's quicker.

"If you say so…" Yao had never been to Yong Soo's house and in fact was quite scared of it, after he had heard everything.

* * *

><p>There's a difference between a house and a home.<br>A home is where a loving family lives. It is where your heart should stay.  
>A house is a building, in which people live.<p>

Yao always stuck by those words. And as soon as he saw Yong Soo's house, he knew. It was just a house. There was no love. No family. Just Yong Soo. Alone.

It hurt him inside to see his.

'_But not as much as it hurts Yong Soo to live here_,' he thought.

'_Every. Single. Day._'

* * *

><p>Yey chapter 6 is finished~ I hope you all enjoyed it! It's a bit dark but hopefully, things will get better for Yong Soo and we can put some more romance in the next chapter! If there's anything you'd like to see, feel free to leave it in a review, or message and I will consider the idea!<p>

Please look forward to the next chapter and please keep on reviewing because I love them and all my readers who like my writing~!

-Lemonade from Darkness


	7. Chapter 7

Oh dear has it been that long?  
>Well I was being lazy and I had no motivation to type up the draft and edit and such because I'm in holiday mode... But I'm back from Italy! And guess what?<p>

I finished the story.  
>Now it all needs typing. And hopefully I can do weekly updates. Whatever works best for you, just leave it in a review or private message.<p>

So, I had a great time, writing this stuff on the beach while getting a hideously uneven tan (There's a giant square on my leg now...). Being lazy. Being Italian (I want to be Italian so I can have my daily naps.).

Oh yes. I've divided this chapter up a lot using the lines. Just to let you know, there are two events simultaneously going on.

Then they meet together. Like a chorus.

Now, enough of me rambling! Time to start the chapter!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Build A Rocket Boys!<strong>

**Hetalia AU fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. All characters (c) Hidekaz Himaruya**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: High Ideals<strong>

_'Oh settle down little heart of mine  
>Oh settle down you're doing double time<br>You're so far away and she's right there by your side  
>Oh settle down little heart of mine<em>_'_

Lyrics from High Ideals by Elbow

* * *

><p>Sweet summer time was here. It had reached that point in time for the lucky kids in the UK to take a six-week break from school. For Yao, this meant time to get away from Ivan and all other dramas. However he was dreading the end of the holiday because it marked the start of his exam preparations. And sadly, these were somewhat important.<p>

* * *

><p>Yao opened his eyes and looked around him: blue skies above him and a grassy hill below him. The sun burned brightly but a soft, school breeze that rustled the leaves in the trees countered the heat. He looked to his side where Kiku was lying next to him. His face was so peaceful - his eyes closed and a soft smile emerged upon his fair lips. He was happy that someone so beautiful had chosen to fall in love with him.<p>

"It's nice we get to spend some time to ourselves." Slowly, Kiku's eyes fluttered open as he sat up and leaned against Yao. Their fingers intertwined. Kiku's smile seemed to be as warm as the sun. Yao just smiled softly and nodded.

If only every day were like this.

Later that day, Yao was invited to Kiku's house, and when the pair arrived, Yao felt slightly intimidated by the house. Not what was on the outside (because it looked fairly normal), but what was on the inside. He never knew a house to be so clean and so…rich? Kiku seemed to have everything Yao had and didn't. It was just missing two things.

"Where're your parents aru?"

"…At work. They're always working. My mum does something to do with stock markets and my dad has a high position in some company in electronics. They're constantly working and always out of the house and sometimes they go abroad. But I'm fine." Kiku tried to smile and hide his sadness, but Yao could tell Kiku wanted to say "It's lonely…I don't want to be alone."

Yao suddenly felt as if he didn't feel true loneliness.

Words were lost and all Yao could do was hold his love close to him.

"Don't worry. I'm here."

Kiku nodded as Yao slowly let go of him. "I'm sorry for being depressing Yao-san…so let's try to cheer up a bit!" He smiled brightly at the last part and directed Yao to the living room.

"How can you have so much stuff aru?" Yao looked in awe at the room (probably the saddest thing he had ever done) as Kiku dragged him to the sofa. Yao stopped as Kiku sat down and patted a spot next to him. "A-Are you sure I'm worthy to sit upon this?"

"Yes it's fine." Kiku looked confused, which made him look "absolutely adorable aru~!"

"…Hey Kiku…" Yao mumbled, thinking about what he was going to say next.

"Nani?"

"Kiss me." Yap pointed to his lips. Kiku nodded slightly and softly pressed his lips against his. So soft…so warm…so…

"N-Nani? What is it?" Kiku's face went bright red when he saw Yao unsatisfied face.

"Ai ya. Just let me do this alright aru?" Before Kiku could say anything, he was pulled into a passionate kiss and onto Yao's lap. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around Kiku's waist, pulling him closer so that they were touching. He looked in front of him through half-lidded eyes to see Kiku, who had his eyes firmly shut and his face was burning red. Yao liked it. Skilfully, he slipped his tongue into Kiku's mouth.

"W-What was that?" Kiku yelled with a burning red face as he pulled away from Yao.

"I-It's just a kiss aru! I'm not going to do anything else aru."

"Alright…" Kiku mumbled as Yao, once again, planted his lips on top of Kiku's.

As Yao ran his tongue over Kiku's lips, Kiku let out a small gasp and opened his mouth so Yao could quickly slip his tongue in. He made some sort of noise when he felt Yao push against his tongue, and when he pushed back he heard Yao made some sort of a moan. They both couldn't deny they liked these noises.

Eventually, at long last, the kiss was broken and all that could be heard were gasps for breath and panting.

"Was it really that tiring?" Yao regained his breath and looked at Kiku who was still trying to regain his.

"Y-Yes…" Kiku smiled slightly and finally got his breath back. Yao chuckled and the two started to discuss what they were going to do next. But during this time, Yao couldn't help but feel as if he was forgetting something… or was it someone?

* * *

><p>Yong Soo sat alone on the park bench, listening to the noise of people. Their laughter and happiness something drove him insane. But right now, people's happiness didn't really matter right now. What really mattered right now is that he had six weeks to sort his life out. He also had six weeks to win Yao's heart because surely, Kiku hadn't got there first? Right? The Korean continued to stare into space, in deep thought. He had taken whatever money was in the house, and he felt so grateful for the fact when his mother was drunk, she became forgetful because that meant he had all her money to himself. And for once, he could afford something decent to eat and some new clothes that didn't smell of cigarettes. It made him smile inside. There was just one thing that troubled him and that was being able to afford-<p>

"YO! Yong Soo! 'Sup mah Korean homie?" Yong Soo's line of thoughts was completely broken. He looked up, it was Alfred, grinning like always and slurping (rather loudly) his (rather large) McDonalds cola.

"An nyoung!" Yong Soo grinned slightly as the American boy sat next to him.

"Hm? Did something good happen?"

"Yeah," He nodded as his grin widened, "I went through my mum's purse she left behind and…." Yong Soo opened his wallet. "Ta-dah~!"

"SHIIIIIIT DUDE. That's totally awesome dude! Like, let's go and spend some of that green!" He grinned and stood up, grabbing his friend's sleeves and dragged him off towards the station.

* * *

><p>"D-dude, I know your mum had money but seriously…exactly how much did she have?" Alfred gasped as he peered into the shopping basket Yong Soo was holding. They were at a clothes store in town that Alfred had dragged his friend to. In response he shrugged and emptied the rather full basket onto the checkout desk.<p>

"Oooooh what 'cha lookin' at~?" Alfred looked over at a small piece of paper Yong Soo was looking at as the two walked down the street.

"Just a shopping list! I gotta buy loads of stuff!" He grinned at started to ramble on about what he was going to buy and what he would do. Alfred found himself unusually interested and happy for his friend.

"Oh! If you wanna get this…and that," he pointed to the various things on the list, "then follow me!" He grinned and dragged Yong Soo off…again.

* * *

><p>"So that's seven to me, and three to you~" Kiku smiled innocently as he turned off the console. "So what was the bet again?"<p>

"…I'd do whatever you wanted aru…" Yao mumbled as he pulled a pillow over his face.

"Oh yes~ Well follow me then." Kiku stood up and chuckled darkly as he left the room with a very nervous looking Yao following him.

"What the hell aru?" His jaw dropped as Kiku presented a frilly white Lolita dress with matching boots, parasol and accessories. "Put it on, and I'll do your hair for you~" He smiled and dumped the clothes on Yao.

"Very nice Yao~" Kiku beamed as he snapped a picture of Yao with his camera. "You almost look like a girl!" He chuckled. Now this was a side of Kiku that Yao had never seen. But in all honesty, he agreed that he _did_ look like a girl.

He sat down in front of a mirror as Kiku began to brush his hair. First taking out the ponytail, then putting his hair into pigtails, and then adding a big, white flower.

"…Why do you even _have _this stuff aru?"

"Hm…that's a secret…" Kiku smiled and brushed his pigtails.

"Well _where_ did you get this then aru?"

"Again…a secret. Anyways a bet is a bet Yao-san. Now can you not talk and keep your lips firmly together?"

"Why…?"

"…No reason~" He chuckled as he took out a box of make up and took out…lipstick?

"N-No way in hell aru!"

"Take it like a man Yao-san."

* * *

><p>"I have a feeling hyung is feeling troubled." Yong Soo looked at Alfred.<p>

"No way dude! Are your minds…connected or something?"

"I don't think so. But I can tell when my huyng is feeling troubled or down. It's just a thing." He stared off into space as the two walked down the street. "Hm…I think I bought a little too much." He said, almost dragging the bags along the pavement. Suddenly, the weight was lifted.

"I'll carry them! It's the duty of a hero!" Alfred laughed and grinned. "And as an added bonus, I'll help you clean up around the house!" Wait why did he just volunteer to do something like that?

"Are you sure?"

"It's no biggie. I have nothing else to do anyways!" He grinned as his friend unlocked the door.

"Alright then!" Yong Soo smile as he stepped inside after his friend.

There was something charming about that smile that Alfred couldn't get out of his head.

Before long, Yao was transformed into a typical Lolita girl.

"Ta-da~" Kiku beamed as Yao stood before a full-length mirror. He was a man! Yet he was wearing…this! However he found to strangely comfortable.

"…ai ya aru…" Were the only words he could utter.

"Now let's go~" Kiku smiled as he dragged Yao to the front door of the house.

"W-Wait! We're going OUTSIDE aru? ARRGHGHHHHAUBFIUAF!"

* * *

><p>"Dude, you sure you wanna walk to the station with me?" Alfred asked as Yong Soo locked the front door to his house. They had just finished the cleaning and Yong Soo had a feeling of achievement in his stomach.<p>

"Yep! I have nothing else to do so I might as well- …I have another feeling that hyung is troubled by something…."

"Dude that's kinda creepy."

And on that note the two began their walk.

"This is out last stop…hey Yao-san, at least look at me" Kiku pouted as the train came to a halt. Yao had been looking down and away from Kiku the whole time, hiding his face behind the large, lacy parasol the whole time. It was embarrassing. But no once seemed to notice he was a boy and even got the occasional fox whistle which made his face turn a deep shade or red. "Well Yao-san, at least no one recognizes you." Yao turned to Kiku as they departed the train station and forced on a smile that ended up looking like a distorted grimace. Kiku couldn't help but laugh only to end up being hit on the head with Yao parasol.

"Yao's house is down this next road, right?" Alfred grinned and looked at Yong Soo. He had found himself doing that a lot lately.

"Yep! Hyung lives down there~" He looked at Alfred. "Today was really fun! Kamsamnida Al!"

Alfred looked away, blushing slightly but still smiling. Wait why was he blushing? But he felt glad and very…awesome.

* * *

><p>"Finally! I'm home aru!" Yao slammed his head against the wall outside his house.<p>

"D-Don't do that! You'll crush the flower…and you might hurt your head…" He wrapped his arms around Yao, who in return put his arms around Kiku's waist and pressed their lips together.

* * *

><p>"Wooahhhh! Isn't that Yao? LOL what the hell is he <em>wearing<em>?" Alfred chuckled to himself. They were a distance away from Yao's house so that Yao and Kiku didn't notice them, but close enough to see Yao's frilly dress.

"Hyung doesn't look half had in that!" Yong Soo grinned stupidly. "Oi! Hyung! Hyung!" He ran ahead of Alfred.

Hyung what're you wear-"

He froze.

There he was; Yong Soo's one love, passionately kissing his one enemy. Yao knew Yong Soo loved him. But he didn't tell him… It was too late…too late…

"…Hyung? W-What's going on? W-Why're you…" He eyes widened in shock, sadness and anger. The emotions just kept on piling and piling. Yao quickly broke the kiss and let go on Kiku.

"Listen…Yong Soo I can explain!" He protested but it was too late. Yong Soo had slammed him against the wall with his cold hands. Yao looked into his eyes. They were filled with hurt and pain and they had…changed.

It scared him so much.

"…Yao…why…? How…? How could you DO THIS TO ME?"

* * *

><p>Seriously I couldn't think of anything for the last line OTL<br>It's really lame sorry!

After reading a certain doujinshi, I wanted to write this chapter, having Yao loosing a bet and being forced to wear a dress.  
>But this is rated T and in the doujinshi they ended up having sexy time.<p>

And yes Yao was still in the (maid) dress (with kitty ears).

An nyoung - Hello (informal) in Korean

Kamsamnida - Thank you in Korean

Anyways I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Please give this chapter a review! It's much appreciated and I love reading them! And I love all of you guys! Especially those who have been reading from the beginning!

-Lemonade from Darkness


	8. Chapter 8

Minor edit: Made a few typos but they're corrected now~

Greeting once again everyone!  
>I'm sorry this took some time to come out, but I guess I wasn't in the right frame of mind for writing this chapter. Also this chapter is quite short in comparison to the others. But I didn't want to add too much and ruin the mood.<p>

Just to let you know, I think updates might be a bit slow. Sorry.

So without further delay, let's start the next chapter~

* * *

><p><strong>Build A Rocket Boys!<strong>

**Hetalia AU fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers. All characters (c) Hidekaz Himaruya**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: The River<strong>

_'I told him my sorrows and broken-down dreams  
>Confessed every lie, replayed every scene<br>He openly wept as he listened to me  
>And then, with the sun in the west, he showed me the sea<em>_'_

Lyrics from The River by Elbow

* * *

><p>"…Yao…why…? How…? How could you DO THIS TO ME?"<p>

"Yong Soo…please let me explain!"

"No." So cold…so dark…Even though Yao had met this side of Yong Soo before, he still couldn't believe this was the same person. "Yao, why do you keep things from me?" Yong Soo slowly closed in on Yao, glaring at him.

"Y-Yong Soo…please…I-I just didn't want anyone to know…I didn't want to get hurt again…I didn't want Kiku to get hurt aru."

"IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT HIM ISN'T IT?"

A sudden silence swept over.

Everyone was dead still. Alfred stood behind Yong Soo, Kiku was in the corner and looked as if he was about to cry, Yao was too scared to move and Yong Soo closed the gap between him and Yao even more.

"Why don't you tell me anything? And why did you do _this_ in the first place? You know my feelings and yet you…. you…. Threw them out of the window! Are they trash to you? Then you _claim_ to be sorry! You're just lying! YOU'RE LYING TO ME."

It shocked him.

It shocked Yao to know that his friend was thinking this. He suddenly felt…so…stupid.

"Y-You hate me… don't you? E-Even though I love you so much…"

It felt as if a knife penetrated his heart.

"Y-Yong Soo I-"

"SHUT UP YAO." He screamed, tears rolling down his face.

Yao didn't know it until he touched his face that he was crying. Small, warm tears rolled down his cheeks. He looked at Kiku and Alfred desperately, wanting them to say something. He wanted them to speak for him. Alfred shook his head.

"Yao…" Alfred breathed in, hoping he would say something useful for once in his life. "I-I think Yong Soo is…right…" Yong Soo's head slowly turned around. His eyed filled with confusion. _Why was he agreeing with him? _"You kept something important from him. And if Arthur and I didn't find out that one day, you wouldn't' have told us… you wouldn't have told any of us. That was wrong. This was bound to happen… someone would've found out." Yong Soo began to distance himself from Yao. His eyes returning back to normal. Alfred placed a hand on Yao's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "You have to face life head to head. Even in these dark times."

Yao wobbled over to Yong Soo, his vision was clouded with tears. He didn't want to admit everyone was right. He didn't want to be wrong. But this was…no time to be selfish. "P-Please…aru…I-I don't hate you…But I don't…love you…" It hurt him to say it. But it was the only way.

"Yao…I…"

"Y-You should've told me…from the start if I did something wrong aru… I don't mean to hurt you."

"I…Yao…I CAN'T…I want to…" Yong Soo clenched his fist and his eyes were flickering.

"W-What's happening? What's wrong?" Alfred and Kiku looked at Yong Soo.

"I hAve… P-PersOnAliTY…DIsoRdEr…" Yong Soo tired to keep his other side at bay. He wanted to used this chance to make things right. He didn't want his other side to make things worse or…hurt anyone. "I HaD P-pILls b-bUT…C-cAn'T AfFord…NoW…"

"Y-Yong Soo why didn't you tell me aru?" Yao grabbed Yong Soo by his arms and looked at him in the eye.

"BECAUSE YOU WOULD NEVER LISTEN! You were always…obsessed with…talking about…HIM. IT SEEMED AS IF I DIDN'T MATTER." He freed himself from Yao's grip and turned to glare at Kiku who backed away until he hit a wall. 'W-Without you… I-I WOULDN'T BE LIKE THIS!" He raised a fist and launched it towards Kiku.

"STOP."

Slowly, he felt soft hands move his arm down and arms wrap around him. Two…four…six? He looked down. Yao and Kiku had their arms wrapped around him. He looked behind him; Alfred was holding him caringly from behind. They didn't care that it looked weird. They didn't care that they were boys hugging another boy. This was friendship at it's finest. This was a way to show the lost soul that he was lost no longer.

Soft tears rolled down Yong Soo's creamy skin.

"You're allowed to cry. There's nothing wrong with that." Kiku smiled softly at him as he left the arms slowly unwrap themselves. He nodded at looked at Kiku. The longer he looked at his gentle face the more tears crept down. Kiku didn't mean for this to happen. It wasn't his fault. He didn't do anything wrong. It was all in his head. He felt _so_ bad. So stupid…

What a fool he was.

"It's not your fault."

* * *

><p>"Life at your age is like sailing down a river on a boat dear. The water can be calm and forgiving but sometimes it can be rough and merciless. But always, at the end of the river is the ocean. Everyone goes through these tough and dark times. But no matter how rough the waters are, you must stay strong, because if you don't, you will only be swept away to the dark bottom of the river. After the storm there will be sun. We all ride the same boat. But sometimes we're on different rivers. It may seem as if someone doesn't understand you, but look closely. They could be on the same type of boat as you. Do you understand boys?" Yao's mum smiled warmly and set down a tray of tea on the coffee table. Hesitantly, the four nodded slowly without looking up.<p>

They were all in Yao's living room, sitting awkwardly. Yong Soo and Alfred sat next to each other while Kiku and Yao sat opposite them.

Apparently, Yao's mum was watching everything from the window. She didn't lecture them and she didn't shout. All she said was, "Lots of hugs and lots of tea are the best cures for weary hearts like yours."

As the four nodded, she sighed and looked at Yong Soo. "Sometimes all you need is the support of friends to help you back up. You need to learn how to trust your friends. If you can't trust them then they aren't your friends." She turned to her son. "And as friends, you have to learn how to listen carefully and pay attention to the kindness shown, and the heart ache that everyone else ignores." She smiled and looked at Kiku, "Sometimes we just need to speak up. You can't let everyone fight a battle that isn't theirs." And then she looked at Alfred, who was now the only one looking down. For once, he had a shy look on his face. "And sometimes when you do speak, you have to learn when the right time to speak is. And when you do, you can change the situation dramatically, for the better."

"Yes Miss Mei…" They chorused.

"Alright then," She smiled and walked out of the room, "Tea isn't going to drink itself you know~"

There was a moment of silence where they waited for her footsteps to fade away.

"Hyung is still wearing that?" Yong Soo grinned as he picked up a cup and took a sip.

"Doesn't it make me look cute aru~?" He grinned and winked at Yong Soo before picking up a cup for himself.

"That's very out of character for you to say that." Kiku slowly took a cup from the tray.

"Well it's very out of character for you to have a frilly dress like that dude!" Alfred laughed before taking a cup and quickly drinking the tea. He wasn't a tea person, so he felt as if was better to drink it all at once.

"Anyway, back to the paint situation at hand aru." He looked at Yong Soo, "If there's anything bothering you, please tell us next time so we can avoid this situation. We're your friends. And I'm sorry for acting like the way I did aru." He smiled warmly at him.

"Well…there is one issue now…" Yong Soo mumbled.

"Then what is it?" Alfred tilted his head to the side.

"Well…the bills just came in…I don't have the money to pay them…"

"Yong Soo aru, have you told an adult about your situation? I think…we should've done that in the first place aru…"

"I haven't told anyone… and yeah in hindsight we should've…"

"E-Erm…I'm sorry to interrupt but I don't know what you're talking about." Kiku quietly spoke.

"O-Oh that's right aru…"

"I'll explain hyung, it's my mess after all." He chuckled and began to explain to Kiku what had been happening.

* * *

><p>"You can live with me then." Kiku spoke without hesitation.<p>

"K-Kiku are you sure? Y-You know I hated you before?" Yong Soo's jaw dropped.

"Of course I knew. And I rather disliked you too for that matter. But hating brings us nowhere in life, does it? _I forgive you_. Anyways, I have no siblings, my parents are always working and the house is just too big for once person."

"B-But money wise-"

"We're quite well off." Kiku smiled. It was his subtle way of saying: "Yeah I'm rich. I can handle you."

"Well we'll need to contact social services and such before hand won't we?" Alfred smiled. "I have contacts~" Alfred felt quite proud all of a sudden. They could literally see the pride radiating off him.

"Then it's all settled aru!" Yao grinned and stood up, "Tomorrow, we all do our best to help Yong Soo!"

"Here's to being totally awesome guys!" Alfred grinned stupidly and raised his cup in the air.

"Cheers!" They all smiled happily and confidently as they clashed their cups together.

And at that moment, Yong Soo couldn't be any more happier.

* * *

><p>If you don't understand what Yao's mumMei/Taiwan is saying. It's a metaphor. The river is your life. The boat is what you experience through out your life.  
>While others lead different lives, we all go through the same things at least once.<br>Life can be good at times, we all have our laughs. But then we have our dark days. But we should continue with a strong mind. Because there's always hope somewhere.

So I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! If there's anything you don't understand or any questions, feel free to ask!

As always, thanks for the support and reviews. They make me happy to keep on writing!  
>Look forward to the next chapter in which things start to look up for Yao!<p>

-Lemonade from Darkness


	9. A Regretful End, Sincerest Apologies

Hello my wonderful followers.

I regret to inform you that I'm no longer continuing this story. And here are my reasons:

-No motivation to finish writing it. I've had a lack of motivation lately and it's been too long since the last update.

-I don't like what I've written. I can't change it in any way. It's quite cheesy and too much beating up of Yao.

-I'm growing out of Hetalia. As much as I hate to admit. I still like it, but not as much as I used to.

-I don't like NiChu as much as I used to. It's not my OTP anymore. I don't think I have one anymore and my favourites have changed a lot. I don't think I have an OTP anymore and my favourite character isn't Japan. I think it's Norway.

-I don't like the genre I'm writing in.

I have considered just typing up the last two chapters as they are in my drafts but who would want two crappy, rushed chapters to finish it all off? I wouldn't. I like quality.

I am planning on doing a HetaOni novelisation, if you haven't seen the work I did on it already it would be nice if you did.

I've already started a draft for a NorIce fan fiction and it'll be dark and romantic. I don't really know what the story is but oh well…

I have to admit I enjoyed writing and seeing everyone enjoy my work. You guys are just amazing.

So, may we meet again in some other time~

-Lemonade from Darkness


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